Underframe for cargo truck and means for reinforcing the same



N. E. COLE June 13, 1967 UNDERFRAME FOR CARGO TRUCK AND MEANS FOR REINFORCING THE SAME Filed Sept. 30, 1965 mwwra/e NEL ON E OLE i Q74 United States Patent 3,325,199 UNDERFRAME FOR CARGU TRUCK AND MEANS FOR REINFORCING THE SAME Nelson E. Cole, Lake Worth, Fla., assignor to Banner Aluminum Body Corporation, Montgomeryville, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Sept. 30, 1965, Ser. No. 491,533 3 Claims. (Cl. 287-13936) My invention relates to the underframe of a cargo truck of the type shown in Cole Patent No. 2,812,192 and in the December 1954, issue of Automotive World, published by Parrish Pressed Steel, a division of Dana Corporation of Reading, Pa., Copyright 1954 by Johnston Export Publishing Company of Philadelphia, Pa.

One object of the invention is to produce an improved underframe of the type set forth.

Underframes of the type set forth include longitudinal sills extending the length of the body of the truck and cross sills which overlie the longitudinal sills and extend in the direction of the width of the truck.

In present-day practice, the longitudinal and cross sills are made of any suitable metal such as steel or any other alloy.

A further object is to produce improved means for securing the longitudinal and cross sills referred to.

Truck frames are normally subjected to loads of varying magnitude and, if all of the sills are made of heavy gauge steel, the material costs and the added weight can become prohibitive. If, for economy in weight and material cost, all of the cross sills are made of a light gauge they may buckle when subject to sufliciently heavy load and/or sufliciently severe impact.

It is therefore a still further object of this invention to produce an improved underbody frame construction wherein the longitudinal sills are made of heavy gauge material and wherein the cross sills are made of light gauge material and are reinforced against buckling.

A still further object is to produce an improved reinforcing member, or gusset, which is inexpensive to produce and apply which is lightweight so as not appreciably to increase the overall weight.

The full nature of the invention will be understood from the following specification and the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of the underbody structure of a truck, only the longitudinal sills and one cross sill being shown assembled by means of a gusset embodying the invention.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view showing how the gusset of the invention may be manufactured.

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view partly in section looking in the direction of line 3-3 on FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is an end view partly in section looking in the direction of line 4-4 on FIG. 1.

As shown in FIG. 1, numerals and 12 denote longitudinal sills which extend in the direction of the length of the truck body, and 14 denotes a cross sill which is arranged transversely of the longitudinal sills. It is to be understood that, in practice, the number of longitudinal sills varies with the size and type of construction and the cross sills are placed at suitable intervals transversely of the longitudinal sills. But, for the purpose of this disclosure it is thought that a description of the parts illustrated should suflice.

It will be seen that in an arrangement of this type, when cross sill 14 is subjected to a load, and/or impact, its upper flange tends to go into tension and its lower flange tends to go into compression. If the load is heavy enough or if the impact is sufliciently severe, the cross sill tends to buckle.

According to my invention, the tendency of the cross sill to buckle is eliminated, or reduced, by light weight gussets 20 which also serve to secure the cross sills to the longitudinal sills.

As can be seen from the drawings, each gusset is defined by parallel edges 22 and 24; by parallel edges 26 and 26 and by parallel edges 28 and 28', it being noted that edges 26 and 28 define a projecting right angle V and that edges 26 and 28 define a re-entrant right angle V.

This shape of the gusset provides the functional parts needed to carry out the invention and it makes it possible to produce the gusset by a high speed blanking operation which involves no material waste whatever. In other words, the right, or projecting, end of each gusset is the complement of the left, or re-entrant V end of the adjacent gusset. See FIG. 2.

To carry out the invention, the gusset is placed so that its edge 26 abuts web 17 at a point below flange 18 of cross sill 14 and so that its edge 26 rests on the upper flange 13 of sill 10 and abuts the edge 19 of flange 16 of cross sill 14. While in this position, edge 26 is welded to the contiguous surfaces of web 17 of cross sill 14, or from point 30 to point 32 in FIG. 1. Next, edge 26 is welded to edge 19 of the lower flange 16 of the cross sill and to flange 13 of sill 10 or from point 32 to point 30', and the body of the gusset is welded to said edge 19 from point 30' to point 34. Next, edge 28 of the gusset is welded to the web 11 of longitudinal sill 10 or from point 30 to point 34'.

The same procedure holds, in minor-image order, for securing a gusset to longitudinal sill 12 and the corresponding portion of cross sill 14.

The arrangement described rigidly secures the longitudinal and cross sill together and provides a truss-like effect which will withstand a load which, in the absence of the gusset will buckle the cross sill. In other words, by mounting gusset 20 in the manner above described, the load applied to upper flange 18 is transmitted through web 17 and through the body of the gusset to lower flange 16 and to longitudinal sill 10. Since gusset 20 extends longitudinally of cross sill 14 to either side of the longitudinal sill and since edge 26' of the gusset is secured to upper flange 13 of longitudinal sill 10, and its edge 28' is secured to web 11 of longitudinal sill 10 diagonally thereof, the load imposed on cross sill 14 will be distributed over a larger area than would be the case in the absence of the gusset.

Also, as can be seen in FIG. 4, gusset 20 coacts with web 17 and flange 16 to produce a triangular cross section, a configuration particularly noted for its structural strength. This configuration extends along the cross sill from point 34 to point 32 which is the area subjetced to highest stress. This triangular configuration also serves to resist torque and other strains to which the assembly is subjected in use.

From the foregoing it will be seen that this invention resides in producing a reinforcing gusset which is simply and cheaply manufactured from a straight strip of fiat material run progressively through a blanking process without any loss of the scrap material. Another advantage in the manufacture of said gusset is that no bending nor forming operations are needed.

Still another advantage of the invention is its lightness of weight, an advantage which is especially appreciated when a large number of gussets are required. Its lightness and design allow the gusset to be easily positioned and readily secured by welding, or other means, to two contiguous frame elements, such as longitudinal sill 10 and cross sill 14.

While in the illustration channel shaped sills are used, the gusset is so constructed as to be applicable to other sills having flanges connected by webs such as I-beams or T-bearns, and the like.

What I claim is:

1. A gusset for securing two superimposed sills together and for transmitting a load applied to the upper sill to the lower sill, said gusset including a body portion having parallel first and second edges disposed parallel to, and on either side of, the median line of said body portion, one end of said body portion having third and fourth edges which intersect said first and second edges respectively, and intersect each other to form a projecting angle, the opposite end of said body portion having fifth and sixth edges which intersect said first and second edges respectively, and intersect each other to form a re-entrant angle, said third and fifth edges being parallel to each other and said fourth and sixth edges being parallel to each other.

2. A gusset for securing two superimposed sills together and for transmitting a load applied to the upper sill to the lower sill, said gusset including a body portion having parallel first and second edges disposed parallel to, and on either side of, the median line of said body portion, one end of said body portion having third and fourth edges which form obtuse angles with said first and second edges respectively, and intersect each other to form a projecting angle of substantially 90, the opposite end of said body portion having fifth and sixth edges which form acute angles with said first and second edges respectively, and intersect each other to form a re-entrant angle of substantially 90, said third and fifth edges being parallel to each other and said fourth and sixth edges being parallel to each other.

3. In combination:

a first sill having spaced first and second flanges and a first intermediate web connecting said flanges,

a second sill superimposed on, and extending at an angle with reference to said first sill,

said second sill having spaced third and fourth flanges 4 and a sec-0nd intermediate web connecting said third and fourth flanges, and a gusset for securing said sills together, for transmitting a load applied to the upper sill to the lower sill and for resisting torque applied to the assembled sills, said gusset comprising:

a body portion having first and second parallel edges disposed on either side of the median line of said body portion,

one end of said body portion having third and fourth edges which extend from said first and second edges respectively and intersect each other to form a substantially right angle,

the opposite end of said body portion having fifth and sixth edges which extend from said first and second edges and intersect each other to form a substantially right angle, said third and fifth edges and said fourth and sixth edges being parallel to each other, respectively,

means securing said third edge to said second web,

means for securing the body of said gusset to the edge of said fourth flange,

means securing said fifth edge to said first flange,

and

means securing said sixth edge to said first web.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,927,915 9/1933 Boyle 18935 2,078,117 4/1937 Auryansen 52730 2,446,457 8/1948 Braun et al 52-730 2,485,090 10/1949 Finch 18935 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,168,367 4/ 1964 Germany.

CARL W. TOMLIN, Primary Examiner.

40 W. L. SHEDD, Assistant Examiner. 

3. IN COMBINATION: A FIRST SILL HAVING SPACED FIRST AND SECOND FLANGES AND A FIRST INTERMEDIATE WEB CONNECTING SAID FLANGES A SECOND SILL SUPERIMPOSED ON, AND EXTENDING AT AN ANGLE WITH REFERENCE TO SAID FIRST SILL, SAID SECOND SILL HAVING SPACED THIRD AND FOURTH FLANGES AND A SECOND INTERMEDIATE WEB CONNECTING SAID THIRD AND FOURTH FLANGES, AND A GUSSET FOR SECURING SAID SILLS TOGETHER, FOR TRANSMITTING A LOAD APPLIED TO THE UPPER SILL TO THE LOWER SILL AND FOR RESISTING TORQUE APPLIED TO THE ASSEMBLED SILLS, SAID GUSSET COMPRISING: A BODY PORTION HAVING FIRST AND SECOND PARALLEL EDGES DISPOSED ON EITHER SIDE OF THE MEDIAN LINE OF SAID BODY PORTION, ONE END OF SAID BODY PORTION HAVING THIRD AND FOURTH EDGES WHICH EXTEND FROM SAID FIRST AND SECOND EDGES RESPECTIVELY AND INTERSECT EACH OTHER TO FORM A SUBSTANTIALLY RIGHT ANGLE, THE OPPOSITE END OF SAID BODY PORTION HAVING FIFTH AND SIXTH EDGES WHICH EXTEND FROM SAID FIRST AND SECOND EDGES AND INTERSECT ECH OTHER TO FORM A SUBSTANTIALLY RIGHT ANGLE, SAID THIRD AND FIFTH EDGES AND SAID FOURTH AND SIXTH EDGES BEING PARALLEL TO EACH OTHER, RESPECTIVELY, MEANS SECURING SAID THIRD EDGE TO SAID SECOND WEB, MEANS FOR SECURING THE BODY OF SAID GUSSET TO THE EDGE OF SAID FOURTH FLANGE, MEANS SECURING SAID FIFTH EDGE TO SAID FIRST FLANGE, AND MEANS SECURING SAID SIXTH EDGE TO SAID FIRST WEB. 